The use of telemedicine has rapidly increased due to the COVID-19 epidemic. In order to diagnose and treat infantile hemangiomas (IH), hemangioma experts used telemedicine during the COVID-19 epidemic. For a study, researchers examined the experiences and perceived efficacy of various treatment methods and any delivery-related obstacles.
From March to September 2020, multicenter cross-sectional research asked healthcare professionals to explain their early assessments of IH utilizing telemedicine.
A total of 281 participants from 15 medical facilities throughout the world participated in the research. It took 17 days on average from referral to assessment. The median level of physician confidence in doing telemedicine assessments was 95.0 (IQR 90.0–100.0). When images were originally unavailable, 51.4% of assessments were conducted via video communication with photographs or voice communication with photographs. The providers favored photographic follow-up methods.
Physicians with a great deal of experience treating IH were confident in their ability to diagnose and treat IH using telemedicine, including starting treatment in patients with no risk factors for beta-blocker medication. The use of hybrid modalities that contained images was preferred. The evidence points to telemedicine’s potential for controlling IH and its potential to shorten wait times and provide access to specialists in disadvantaged areas.
Reference: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pde.15040
